documenting my journey from a stable, professional career to a traveler around the world

Friday, September 2, 2011

Day 89 - Nuang Shwe back to Yangon

The rain decided to come all last night and throughout the day today. Good thing we went on our trek when we did, or else we'd be traversing through even wetter and more slippery terrain than we did the past three days!

I caught a pick-up truck to the bus station about 30 minutes away to get a seat on a bus headed back to Yangon. The bus ride would be 16 hours, but I was reassured that the quality of buses would be much better than the one from Bagan to Kalaw.

The bus was similar to the one I took from Yangon to Mandalay, with the air conditioning turned to maximum, but thankfully I prepared for the chill with some socks, a jacket, and some pajamas. The buses were all second-hand buses previously used in Japan, as was evident by the old sign on the side of the bus that showed what stations the bus used to stop at in Japan.

I was running out of kyat currency and had to really think about where to spend it, as I knew I would need a taxi from the bus station in Yangon to the hotel I planned to book. Dinner was skipped to save money and it would be a hungry night with an unhappy stomach.